A method of the afore-mentioned type is known from German Patent Document DE195 33 960 C2. According to the prior method, one material layer is applied on a base in the form of a trace and is subsequently fused or compacted, respectively, by means of a laser beam. Subsequently, a second layer is applied and compacted, and so on, with the number of the layers applied and compacted by means of a laser beam depending on the desired height of the workpiece. On applying a new layer, the new layer always combines with the surface of the layer applied before. The powder-metallurgical production of the workpiece is followed by a finishing of both the lateral faces and the upper surface by way of a cutting process. Additionally, according to this method, non-melted starting material is continually removed from the work area by blowing or sucking it off.
With this method, comparatively short production times can be achieved for exactly dimensioned workpieces when the radiation device and the mechanical processing device are computer-controlled. There is, however, a significant problem associated with this method in that the edges of the workpiece produced, i.e., the lateral faces, a non-uniform material consistency is generated and porosities in the material may occur. As a solution to this problem, the suggests fusing the material beyond the desired contour dimension and removing the distinctly projecting edges of the workpiece during the subsequent mechanical finishing. While this is an effective solution, it significantly increases working expenses, both with regard to the working time and tool costs.